Upcoming musicians urged to be original

A FORMER rhythm guitarist with Zvishavane Sounds, Davison Matsheza, has urged budding musicians in Zvishavane to be original if they want to attain the fame that his former band enjoyed during the 1990s.

BY ARTS REPORTER

Matsheza, affectionately known as Chitoto after one of their hit songs, said the music industry in the mining town was dying because upcoming artists were simply “photocopying” other household names in the music industry such as Alick Macheso and Oliver Mtukudzi rather than establishing their own genre.

“Our hit songs such as Mutongi Gava and Chitoto were popular because we were original. There were popular musicians during our time, but we used our own unique styles,” he said.

Matsheza also urged upcoming musicians to be united and ensure they came up with quality music, which would be competitive in Zimbabwe and abroad.

“As Zvishavane Sounds members, we used to work in unity. Chitoto was a result of unity. The late Trevor Madamombe composed the song and we worked together with the likes of Gift Amuli to ensure the piece was perfect,” he said.

Zvishavane Sounds was a popular music outfit during the 1990s and their songs such as Mutongi Gava Maenzanise are still famous on national radio stations such as National FM and Radio Zimbabwe. The group faced financial constraints during early 2000s and members eventually split, as the country’s economy turned sour.

The group was revived by Gift Amuli and his comeback album Munombozvigona Sei? has become an instant hit.